CHAPTER XII.

EXODUS, xiii., xv.-xx., xxiv., xxxii.-xxxvii., xxxix., xl.

NUMBERS, xviii.

MOUNT SINAI.

Manna for Bread-War with Amalek-Jethro's Visit-Moses the Judge-Jethro's Advice-The People Organized-At Sinai-The Ten Commandments-The Golden Calf-Taught of God-Making a Tabernacle-The Ark-The Tent of Meeting-The Priesthood.

Now it came to pass, when Pharaoh let the people go, that God did not lead them by the road of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; but God led the people around by the road of the wilderness of the Red Sea.

And the people murWhat shall we drink? Jehovah shewed him a

And Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of the Wall; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. Then they came to Marah, and they could not drink the water of Marah, for it was bitter. mured against Moses, saying: And he cried to Jehovah, and tree, and he cast it into the water, and the water became sweet. There Moses ordained for the people a law and statutes; and there he proved them, and said: If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of Jehovah, thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his eyes, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have

MANNA FOR BREAD.

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put upon the Egyptians: for I am Jehovah that healeth thee.

Then they came to Elim, where were twelve springs of water, and seventy palm trees; and they encamped there by the waters. And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from Elim, and came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them : Would that we had died by the hand of Jehovah in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots, and ate bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger. And Jehovah spake to Moses, saying: I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; that ye may know that I am Jehovah, your God. And in the morning a fall of dew lay round about the camp. And when the fall of dew was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness a small flake, small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they called it manna. And Moses said to them: This is the

gather ye

bread which Jehovah hath given you to eat; of it every man according to his eating. And they gathered it morning by morning, every man according to his eating; but when the sun waxed hot, it melted. And the children of Israel ate manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land, until they came to the border of Canaan.

Then all the congregation of the children of Israel

journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, and pitched in Rephidim; and there was no water for the people to drink. And the people thirsted there for water, and murmured against Moses, and said: Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? And Moses cried to Jehovah, saying: What shall I do to this people? Yet but a little and they will stone me. And Jehovah said to Moses Pass on before the people, and take with thee some of the elders of Israel. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua: Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek. To-morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; but when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. And Moses' hands were heavy; so they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. And Moses built an altar, and called its name Jehovah my Banner. And Moses said:

With hand toward Jah's throne I swear,

Jehovah's war against Amalek for all generations.

MOSES THE JUDGE.

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Then Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-inlaw, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, how that Jehovah had brought Israel out of Egypt. And Jethro took Zipporah, Moses' wife, and her two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, and came to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped, at the mount of God. And he sent word unto him, saying: I thy father-inlaw Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her. And Moses went out to meet his fatherin-law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and when they had asked each other of their welfare, they came into the tent; and Moses told his father-in-law all that Jehovah had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the trouble that had come upon them by the way, and how Jehovah had delivered them. Then Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which Jehovah had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. And Jethro said: Blessed be Jehovah, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh; who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that Jehovah is greater than all gods. Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burntoffering and sacrifices for God; and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' fatherin-law before God.

Now it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood about Moses from the morning unto the evening. And when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said: What is this that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand about thee from morning unto evening? And Moses said to his

father-in-law: Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a matter, they come to me; and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and declare the statutes of God, and his laws. And Moses' father-in-law said to him: The thing that thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear thyself away (both thou and this people that is with thee), for the thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God be with thee: be thou for the people to Godward, and bring thou the causes unto God; and teach them statutes and laws, and shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, that hate unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens; and let them judge the people at all times. And it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge themselves : so shall it be easier for thee, and they shall bear the burden with thee. If thou shalt do this thing, and God so command thee, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people also can go about their work in peace. And Moses hearkened to the voice of his father-inlaw, and did all that he had said. And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And they judged the people at all times; the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.

In the third month after the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, they came into the